A bona fide publishing phenomenon, Lynne Truss's now classic #1 New York Times bestseller Eats, Shoots & Leaves makes its paperback debut after selling over 3 million copies worldwide in hardcover.

We all know the basics of punctuation. Or do we? A look at most neighborhood signage tells a different story. Through sloppy usage and low standards on the Internet, in e-mail, and now text messages, we have made proper punctuation an endangered species.

In Eats, Shoots & Leaves, former editor Truss dares to say, in her delightfully urbane, witty, and very English way, that it is time to look at our commas and semicolons and see them as the wonderful and necessary things they are. This is a book for people who love punctuation and get upset when it is mishandled. From the invention of the question mark in the time of Charlemagne to George Orwell shunning the semicolon, this lively history makes a powerful case for the preservation of a system of printing conventions that is much too subtle to be mucked about with. BACKCOVER: Praise for Lynne Truss and Eats, Shoots & Leaves:

Eats, Shoots & Leaves makes correct usage so cool that you have to admire Ms. Truss. Janet Maslin, The New York Times

Witty, smart, passionate. Los Angeles Times Book Review, Best Books Of 2004: Nonfiction

Who knew grammar could be so much fun? Newsweek

Witty and instructive. . . . Truss is an entertaining, well-read scold in a culture that could use more scolding. USA Today Truss is William Safire crossed with John Cleese's Basil Fawlty. Entertainment Weekly

This book changed my life in small, perfect ways like learning how to make better coffee or fold an omelet. It's the perfect gift for anyone who cares about grammar and a gentle introduction for those who don't care enough. The Boston Sunday Globe

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1. an editor's way of clarifying the meaning of a direct quote without actually changing any of the words
2. used around the word sic eg "please send a copy of The Time's [sic]", he wrote.

After being the only one who noticed apostrophes being put in the wrong places all the time, after asking everyone I could why, after being told there was nothing wrong (with the apostrophes, I mean, ...continue

After being the only one who noticed apostrophes being put in the wrong places all the time, after asking everyone I could why, after being told there was nothing wrong (with the apostrophes, I mean, since there was probably something wrong with me)... after all of these things, I found this book. Ok, it's actually a book I have to study for an exam, but I've never ever enjoyed a school book as I'm enjoying this.
It's funny, deliciously written and actually useful; and now I finally know there are some people who just can't write in their own language even in the USA and the UK.

I must confess I haven't finished this book yet, and I probably won't go on.
I found it very funny and interesting at the beginning, since it carries some fundamental information about English languag ...continue

I must confess I haven't finished this book yet, and I probably won't go on.
I found it very funny and interesting at the beginning, since it carries some fundamental information about English language (e.g. the use of apostrophe for the plural form of acronyms). I particularly appreciated the description of a few common and not-so-common mistakes - there's an inner stickler inside me who particularly enjoys such things :P
However, the book soon became extremely boring, with so many unhelpful references to history. I wonder, for example, how helpful such long references to Aldus Manutius may be to a reader who simply wants to find out more about English language.